Research summary
Cognitive impairment caused by neurodegeneration affects millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, in most cases, there are no effective treatments. The potential involvement of immune cells in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases offers new avenues for intervention. But for these to succeed, we need to better understand the physiological processes associated with such diseases.
Dr. Chao Wang has already shown how single-cell genomics can capture the complexity of immune cell function and metabolic state. As Canada Research Chair in Immunometabolism in Neuroinflammation, her long-term vision is to use this concept to clinically benchmark cognitive decline induced by neurodegeneration. She and her research team are also harnessing the ability to manipulate immune cell function in relevant patient populations. They hope to uncover knowledge about immune cells that can ultimately be used to treat cognitive impairment.